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I'm trying to get my hens to sleep in the henhouse

post #1 of 5
3/6/12 at 5:08pm
Thread Starter 

We have a 8 x 10 enclosed chicken coop with a hen house.  The hens are around 3 months old.  I am trying to teach them to go into the hen house to sleep by themselves.  So far, I have to go out every nite and put them inside the hen house.  Once I put them in they will stay until day light and come out on their own.  Any suggestions on how to get them to roost inside the hen house once it is dark.  I want them to get use to going inside the hen house so when they start laying, they will go inside to lay their eggs. 

 

Am I expecting too much from the chicks???

 

Thanks

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post #2 of 5
3/6/12 at 9:52pm

Light in the coop helps. I think they instinctively go to the light. Also if the coop is big enough, keeping them in it for a few days, with food and water of course, helps them see that it is their home.

 

If the coop is not off the ground or they don't have roosts in it (or if the roosts outside are higher/more inviting) that can be a problem.

"I'm a lyrical gangster. I'll use some colorful vernacular and if necessary will engage in fisticuffs."
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"I'm a lyrical gangster. I'll use some colorful vernacular and if necessary will engage in fisticuffs."
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post #3 of 5
3/7/12 at 1:19am

I just built my coop last Saturday. It's a small one (4x4x4) but has a huge run. I kept them in the coop for 2 days before letting them out into the run (had to finish fencing it in). When it starts to get dark they automatically go into the coop. They're 6 weeks old (7 weeks this Saturday).

 

I have solar garden lights in their coop. I take the lights out in the morning when I get off shift (overnight at the hotel) and give them food and water. Later in the day I put the solar lights back into the coop and it stays lit for them until much later in the night.

 

In the next couple weeks I'll drill holes in the roof and drop the solar lights into that, that way the solar panel has access to the light (to charge) and I won't have to move them daily. My solar lights look similar to these; I picked them up at Wal-Mart last year for a couple bucks. They aren't very bright but they do the job.

 

solar-light-2.jpg

1 Pit/Chowchow Puppy (Carmen), 1 Boyfriend (Xander)

5 Black Sexlink, 3 Red Sexlink, 1 New Hampshire Red, 1 Cockoo Maran, 2 Delaware, 6 Rhode Island Red, 1 RIR Rooster, 7 Pekin Ducks, 1 Cayuga Duck, 1 Guinea Fowl, 17 Californian Rabbits.

 

Incubator: 0

 

The wish list is much longer.

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1 Pit/Chowchow Puppy (Carmen), 1 Boyfriend (Xander)

5 Black Sexlink, 3 Red Sexlink, 1 New Hampshire Red, 1 Cockoo Maran, 2 Delaware, 6 Rhode Island Red, 1 RIR Rooster, 7 Pekin Ducks, 1 Cayuga Duck, 1 Guinea Fowl, 17 Californian Rabbits.

 

Incubator: 0

 

The wish list is much longer.

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post #4 of 5
3/7/12 at 10:23am

Hi i had the same problem with my girls when i first got them and again when i put them in a new coop. i was lifting them into their nest box every night for about two weeks. i agree with the light issue too i had to fit two new windows in the shed that their nest box was inside and this i think helped them find their way into their house at night to sleep. so i think a solar light would be a good idea. 

vegan mum to nine rescue ex bats, a horse and a very hen pecked poodle

Until One has Loved an Animal, a Part of One's Soul Remains unawakened  ~Anatole France

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vegan mum to nine rescue ex bats, a horse and a very hen pecked poodle

Until One has Loved an Animal, a Part of One's Soul Remains unawakened  ~Anatole France

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post #5 of 5
3/7/12 at 5:51pm

Im having the same problem i bought a cubalaya pair and they sleep on top of the coop and i grave them and rest them inside the coop and i open the door every morning,I also bought a game hen a month ago she wasent use to the coop ether but now she lays her eggs in the nesting box i hope my rooster and hen start sleeping inside so the rooster can fertelize the eggs.

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BackYard Chickens › BYC Forum › Raising BackYard Chickens › Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying › I'm trying to get my hens to sleep in the henhouse